Since I've Been Gone

Damn kids. So much has happened. Let's do this chronologically. Ready, go.

I had spent the night at a B&B, the one I mentioned before with the fantastic Irish receptionist. I woke up much earlier than I expected because I am a worried traveler. I got my full Irish breakfast, which was an experience. They had normal stuff like eggs and toast and then they had 5 different types of meat and baked beans. I looked at my plate and just laughed. I tried a bit of everything, but some of the meat was frightening.

Moving on to more interesting things... I got to go through US customs in Ireland, so I didn't get the full strip search that I was expecting with quarantine for the bird flu or something. So I flew out. 8 hours on a plane. I didn't talk to the guy sitting next to me at all. He was a good-looking military guy. I just didn't feel like talking at all. Also, he was reading a book and had headphones on, which makes it easy for me to be avoidant.

I land in Chicago. Suddenly, I'm a foreigner in my own country. When I was going to Europe, I was prepared for the strange and different, so I adjusted. But I wasn't prepared for America. My belief that I look a little funny was confirmed during my layover. Two flight attendants were looking around for people on a flight to Germany. And they went out of their way to ask me if I was flying to Frankfurt.

Then I went to a Starbucks (I'd already been up for 12 hours and was looking at another 8 hours at least, so don't judge). I just wanted one of those medium size cold coffee things. I managed to find some American money. I ordered and went to pay and the price was totally different from the sign. I look at the clerk and then back to the sign. Then it dawns on me. Tax. In Europe, tax is always included in the displayed prices.

Not to mention I keep trying to stay left when walking. And there is the problem of me always saying "Cheers, thanks" after I buy something or ask a stranger a question. Ireland was the last place I visited, so I adjusted quickly. Now I'm having a problem of adjusting back.

When I got home from the airport, I was immediately escorted to my cousin's wedding reception. It was a crazy hootananny the way it is only possible in Wisconsin. Suddenly, I was thrust into the arms of my drunk and sober relatives. Everyone was hugging, it was fantastic. There were loads of people there that I didn't recognize either. And it was probably the liveliest reception ever. I hadn't been talking a whole lot the last three weeks, so my voice had started to hurt after an hour of solid talking. And I kept making jokes that the smoky bar wasn't as bad as Europe and that this was like fresh air in comparison. Then I'd get a coughing attack and have to go outside for a bit.

There's so much I've missed since I've been away. The Vice President shot a guy. The Powerball jackpot hit a new record. The Olympics. The Superbowl. Ok, nothing actually too serious.

By the way, I suspect my friends don't read international news, otherwise someone might've emailed me to check if I was ok. But I guess this was Saturday and no one really follows the news on the weekend. The day I left Dublin, there were massive protests in the city. Apparently the IRA had something to do with it. The protests had turned violent. They were only a couple of blocks from where I was staying. It was on O'Connell street. I hung out there a lot. It is a really beautiful and happening place. I was looking at the picture in the one newspaper that I could find that had more than a paragraph about it and I just kept thinking, "I was just there. Right before this happened. I took a bus down that street right before this went down."